Hey, sorry for the Long Update, but I have some news for anybody: As of August 8, 2024, I am temporarily storing this version of the story. When I started writing this over a year ago, I had a clear vision of what I was writing. But as the months went by and the writing got slower, I started to wonder if the being of the story was what I was really going for.
Some things didn't seem to fit, and others felt like they weren't enough. So, to fix it, I decided to start writing a new beginning of the story. I will be uploading the new Magic and Chaos right here on Royal Road. I will be looking into cross-posting to other websites for anybody interested, but that will be for later.
I'm only changing the being of the story, so hopefully, I can upload faster. A few changes that I am trying to add are
-Longer chapters
-Less cussing
-A wider range of audience
-A better, more in-depth storytelling
-New Characters
Please let me know what you think of these changes and check the story. I'll leave an introduction to the new story, so please let me know what you think.
Thanks
Tick
Tick
Tick
Tic-
Isaac was sitting in the back of the classroom, waiting for the time to change. The clock on the wall was deafening. Its constant ticking was the only thing Isaac could hear over the chatter of kids around him.
Isaac just knew that the clock was messing with him. Hanging on to the last minute, drawing out each second as long as possible. He had been staring at the clock for the last five minutes, watching it loudly tick its way up—each second, another tick.
Just one more minute, it was just one minute. A minute flew by when you weren’t looking, but when you stared at it, it froze and refused to move.
“ Hey everyone, settle down!” Mr. Rayfield, the school's algebra teacher, tried to get the kids quiet.
Rapping his fingers against his desk, Isaac tried to ignore the teacher, but his voice was just so loud. Didn’t he know that he was making more noise than they were? Not only that, but he was doing this minutes away from the bell. Who cares if they're talking? They’re about to leave anyway.
There was no reason for him to be this strict with them, but as always, the teacher was just trying to exert whatever little power he had over the kids.
Maybe Isaac should say something; it would be fun to see Mr. Rayfield turn red again. No, Isaac thought, focusing back on the clock. This wasn’t the time to have some fun with the teachers.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Isaac needed to be ready; if he wasn’t ready, then he could miss lunch. Lunch was the most important part of the day, and the further away your class was, the faster you had to be if you wanted to get your food on time.
Unfortunately, Isaac drew the short end of the stick for his last year. His last class before lunch, and it was all the way on the other side of the school on the second floor; you couldn't get further than that.
If that didn’t make it hard enough, the teacher stopped anyone from lining up at the door. This meant that twenty kids would get up and head for the door at the sound of the bell. In their need for food, they would all fight to push their way out the door, where they would all pile up, barricading the door with their bodies.
But not Isaac; Isaac was prepared.
His bag slung over his shoulder, his butt halfway off the seat, his knees straining from pressure. Isaac was ready to sprint out the door before anyone else got there. Nobody was going to stop him from being first in line.
All he needed was that last hand to move.
12:15.
RIIIIIIIINNGG
The bell rang throughout the school, startling some people who were not paying attention while the rest calmly packed their bags.
“HA!” Isaac laughed; he was free. With his bags already in his hands, Isaac didn’t need to wait; he was already ready to go.
Jumping up, Isaac ran out the door, not even giving his classmates a chance to leave their seats. And before they even realized it, Isaac was out of his seat and racing out the door.
“Cantor Get Back Here!” The teacher tried to call Isaac back, but it was too late; Isaac was already out the door.
Outside, kids were already filling the hallway, each preparing for their mad lunch rush.
Every day, it was a race to be first. No one wanted to be stuck in line as the seconds of precious lunchtime ticked away. Standing there, waiting as all of your friends got to sit and talk while you had to wait, hoping that you were lucky enough to taste your food, at least before you were forced to move on to your next period.
But no matter how fast they were, Isaac was faster.
Rushing past them, Isacc ran toward the end of the hall. At the end of the hall was a set of stairs leading down to the first floor. It was the only staircase on the second floor and the second hurdle for Isaac. If Isaac let them, the mass of kids would fill up the stairs, doubling his time.
Slowing down meant giving students on the first floor a chance to be first, but going too fast meant a possible journey to the hospital with no food to show for it. So everyone tried to be careful going down the stairs, as it wasn’t worth the risk.
But where others might have hesitated, Isaac gunned it. Pumping himself up, Isaac ran faster towards the stairs; everyone around him who had seen this before lept out of the way, and when the first step was under his foot, he jumped.
It was an eight-foot drop to the first floor, a fall that could break your leg, but that didn't stop Isaac. When his foot touched the ground, he was off again, racing down the hallway.
Anything he could do to go faster, he was doing. It didn’t matter if he got injured or not. Isaac wasn’t going to let anyone be first in line.
Even pushing someone down the stairs wasn’t off the table.
It wouldn’t be the first time either, Isaac thought, smiling. A year before, some girl was purposely clogging up the stairwell so that she could talk to her friends. Like a damn on a lake, she held up the entire second floor stooping everybody on their way to lunch. A quick flight down the stairs took care of that.
Funny enough, after that, no one wanted to be on the stairs when Isaac was.
Isaac laughed, thinking about the sound she made going over the railing. He got in a bit of trouble the next day, but it was still one of the funniest things that Isaac had ever done. He didn’t feel sorry for her either.
And now, whenever they saw him coming, people knew to stay off the stairs during lunch. Isaac wasn’t afraid to send someone down a flight or two if they got in his way. The race to the cafeteria was a ritual for Isaac; if something tried to get in the way of it happening, then he wouldn’t be happy.
It was the only thing that made his day worth it.